Current post-mix beverage dispenser nozzles generally mix a stream of syrup, concentrate, bonus flavor, or other type of flavoring ingredient with water or other type of diluent. The streams may be mixed by shooting the syrup stream down the center of the nozzle with the water stream flowing around the outside of the syrup stream. The syrup stream is directed downward with the water stream as the streams drop into the cup. One known dispensing nozzle system is shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,651 to Whigham, et al., entitled “Nozzle For Post Mix Beverage Dispenser”, incorporated herein by reference.
Recent developments have led to a modular dispensing nozzle in which the water stream travels down a central structure while a syrup stream is shot at the water stream and the central structure. An example of this configuration is shown in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0040983 A1 to Ziesel, entitled “Dispensing Nozzle”, incorporated herein by reference.
Regardless of the configuration of the nozzle, the final beverage produced by the beverage dispenser generally may be tested so as to ensure that the proper ratio of syrup or concentrate to water or diluent is flowing through the nozzle. This testing generally involves splitting the fluid flow from the nozzle between the syrup and the concentrate streams and the water or the diluent streams.
What is desired, therefore, is a device to split the flow of a beverage as it exits the nozzle between the syrup and the concentrate streams and the water or the diluent streams. The device preferably can adapt to the modular dispenser nozzle configuration described above or any other type of beverage dispenser nozzle.